FAQ Prospective Students

What are main differences between the Master programmes in “Pharmaceutical Sciences” and “Medicinal and Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences”?

Both programmes provide the foundations for future scientific work (such as Ph.D. thesis) and enable a future career in industrial, regulatory, and also certain business environments.

The Master programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences also leads to the Swiss Federal Diploma as a pharmacist. The programme therefore includes several weeks of internship in public and/or hospital pharmacies and provides specialised education in public health care and management. The practice-oriented courses are provided by public and industrial pharmacists. The courses and training can only be completed successfully with a sound knowledge of German. Admission to this programme is thus only possible for applicants with good German language skills.

The Master programme in Medicinal and Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences focuses strongly on industrial and regulatory competencies. A number of courses focus on the progression of medicinal research and product development from an industrial and regulatory perspective. These courses are provided by industrial and regulatory pharmacists. Incidentally, the programme does not lead to the Swiss Federal Diploma and does not include any internship in public or hospital pharmacies. The entire Master curriculum is taught in English.

What are the requirements for admission?

1. The Master programme MIPS is based on the BSc programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences of the ETH. Applicants need a BSc or equivalent degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Students from related programmes like Biotechnology or Biochemistry generally lack basic pharmaceutical courses.

The required knowledge is listed in the “Qualification profile”. A certain number of credit points can be compensated by additional courses, but beyond 30 credit point, admission is rejected. Use the “Qualification profile” to assess your curriculum with regard to admission. A pre-evaluation by the ETH is not possible.

2. Good performance in the Bachelor programme. There is no official limit. “Good” means “above average”.

3. English on level C1

4. In the Personal Statement, you are asked to explain your choice of the programme as well as your professional plans for the future.

5. At least one recommendation letter of a Professor of your Bachelor programme.

Where can I find further information about application and admission?

The Rectorate is responsible for applications and admission. All the information you need for the application is presented on their websites:

http://www.rektorat.ethz.ch/students/admission/master/index_EN

What should I take into account when applying fort the programme?

The online application process is self-explanatory. Follow the instructions carefully, and make sure that you meet every requirement.

The Admission Committee specially wishes that applicants fill in the course contents in a comprehensible way; titles like Pharmacology I – VI are not sufficient. You may send the curriculum of your BSc programme additionally, but fill in the form all the same. Please differentiate between lecture and laboratory courses. For the Personal Statement, use your own words, do not copy texts from the internet.

How many students are there in the programme?

In the spring semester 2011, there were 26 students matriculated, about one third Swiss students and two third international students

Where can I find further information on the programme?

The information about the programme is presented on this website.

Where can I find information about studying at the ETH as an international Master student?

See on the website of the Rectorate the keywords “Financial Matters”, “Immigration and Housing” and others.

http://www.rektorat.ethz.ch/students/admission/index_EN

What can I expect after getting my Master degree? Will I find a job?

Successful completion of the MIPS programme qualifies MIPS graduates for continuing their studies as Ph.D.-students, or starting a job in the pharmaceutical or medical device industry, in clinical research organizations or with regulatory authorities.

During the MIPS courses, you will have daily and close contacts with professionals from academia, industry, consultancy sector, and regulatory bodies, who may offer you some advice for planning your future career. Nonetheless, neither ETH Zurich nor the many different lecturers from the private and public sectors will directly ensure graduates a Ph.D.-position or a job. The worldwide job situation in the Pharma and Medical Device sectors is presently still quite good so that MIPS graduates generally find attractive positions as Ph.D.-students or junior scientists.

As there is important competition for attractive positions, important assets remain your educational profile, study performance, extracurricular activities, and your flexibility regarding the thematic area and geographic location of work.